I had a nice chat with my therapist last night. I did most of the talking, and a lot of it - actually all of it - was me trying to convince her I'm a sociopath. Or maybe someone with some sort of mental illness that requires intense therapy. I don't know if a shrink is supposed to tell you "Hey look, stop being paranoid. You're not dysfunctional! You're totally capable of handling your own problems!" But that is what my shrink told me. But then again, maybe I am not dysfunctional. Just a...I wouldn't say paranoid person, um...I'll go with "a person who is unsure of their true potential." Because that makes me sound like I've got potential lying hidden somewhere buried in an underground recess deep deep deep in the core of the earth... "Hey, don't look down on yourself!" Yes that is also something my shrink said. And I'm gonna listen to that because sociopath or not, I do have self esteem issues. Which I am working on! Yes! Acknowledge your efforts, and give yourself credit! O shrink, your wise (clichéd) words are still ringing in my ears...
So what if I told you this shrink who I speak of is... well, it's me. Yes me, myself. Yes, I am being my own therapist. Yes, I am counselling myself. Why, you ask? I say lack of resources, time, parental consent or rather lack of a desire to consult parents, or anybody for that matter. I know myself best, and I can be unscrupulous and not hurt my feelings because yes, you can probably counsel yourself (as bizarre as it may seem) but you certainly cannot hurt your own feelings.
Back to my nice chat with my 'therapist' last night - so the basic impression my 'therapist' developed last night was that for some reason I kept trying to convince myself that I had a mental disorder, that my current situation is to be blamed on something out of my hands, that I need rescuing because I'm incapable of standing up for myself. She found it quite amusing. Why? She asked. And I floundered. I didn't have to answer the question anyway (not that I'd have been able to) because she answered it for me (or I answered it for myself, you could say). She said that I was either trying to wash my hands off the mess I'd gotten into. Or maybe I was just doing what I always did - looking at my actions under a negative light. Which one is it? She asked. and I couldn't answer again. And she said it's a bit of both.
"You're making a mountain out of a molehill," she said.
I only stared, uncomprehending.
"Really, it's not as bad as you think it is. You're in the same boat as everyone. It's true, you would have handled it differently two years ago. It's also true that you feel like you have lost what you had two years ago. All I want to say is that two years is not that long. What you say you have lost, you have not lost at all. She is still in you. It's just a matter of digging through the dirt that has accumulated over these two years. But remember, two years is not too long ago, and those layers are not too deep."
I was annoyed then. She said it like it was a matter of digging in her backyard! I couldn't quite purchase my karmic shovel at a nearby hardware store!
And she said, "why do you think I'm here for you? I'll be your 'karmic shovel', and help you get through those layers and figure yourself out again. Give it some time. It'll all work out, trust me."
Well...there is really no harm in trusting myself now is there?
So what if I told you this shrink who I speak of is... well, it's me. Yes me, myself. Yes, I am being my own therapist. Yes, I am counselling myself. Why, you ask? I say lack of resources, time, parental consent or rather lack of a desire to consult parents, or anybody for that matter. I know myself best, and I can be unscrupulous and not hurt my feelings because yes, you can probably counsel yourself (as bizarre as it may seem) but you certainly cannot hurt your own feelings.
Back to my nice chat with my 'therapist' last night - so the basic impression my 'therapist' developed last night was that for some reason I kept trying to convince myself that I had a mental disorder, that my current situation is to be blamed on something out of my hands, that I need rescuing because I'm incapable of standing up for myself. She found it quite amusing. Why? She asked. And I floundered. I didn't have to answer the question anyway (not that I'd have been able to) because she answered it for me (or I answered it for myself, you could say). She said that I was either trying to wash my hands off the mess I'd gotten into. Or maybe I was just doing what I always did - looking at my actions under a negative light. Which one is it? She asked. and I couldn't answer again. And she said it's a bit of both.
"You're making a mountain out of a molehill," she said.
I only stared, uncomprehending.
"Really, it's not as bad as you think it is. You're in the same boat as everyone. It's true, you would have handled it differently two years ago. It's also true that you feel like you have lost what you had two years ago. All I want to say is that two years is not that long. What you say you have lost, you have not lost at all. She is still in you. It's just a matter of digging through the dirt that has accumulated over these two years. But remember, two years is not too long ago, and those layers are not too deep."
I was annoyed then. She said it like it was a matter of digging in her backyard! I couldn't quite purchase my karmic shovel at a nearby hardware store!
And she said, "why do you think I'm here for you? I'll be your 'karmic shovel', and help you get through those layers and figure yourself out again. Give it some time. It'll all work out, trust me."
Well...there is really no harm in trusting myself now is there?
